Copy-holder.



0. J. ELLIS.

OOPY HOLDER. APPLICATIOI FILED JUNE 10 1909. 978,71 9. Patented Dec. 13,1910 2 BHBETB-BHEET 1.

G. J. ELLIS.

COPY HOLDER. APYLIOATIOI nun mm 10, 1900.

Patented Dec. 13,1910.

2 SHEETS-BEE! R.

\ MN \Q Q) uni Rn QN/- $1 mm mm a N. R \w v ww v Q UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

CALVIN J. ELLIS, O F KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI. ASSIGNOR TO THE CAMEBAGRAPHCOMIA'NY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF ARIZONA TERRITORY.

COPYJ-IOLDEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

Application filed June 10, 1909. Serial No. 501,290.

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that I, CALviN J. limits, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kansas (it v, in the county of Jackson and State of.\lissouri. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in (opv-llolders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to copy holders, and

more particularly to a device for holding:

books. maps or other objects for photographic reproduction, and myobject is to produce a copy holder of this character adapted foradjustment vertically or later ally to facilitate the alinement of theobject with the camera employed to produce the negative from whichprinted reproductions are made.

A further object is to produce a box to receive the object andspring-pressed plates to hold such object, irrespective of its size orthickness. firmly in the box.

A further object is to produce means for so guiding and supporting suchplates as to permit the same to assume angles to the box to facilitatethe securing of an object in position.

Another object is to produce a box of the character outlined. capable ofbeing swung f to a horizontal position to facilitate the placing of abook or other object" in or its removal from position.

With these general objects in, view, and others as hereinafter appear,the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar fea tures ofconstruction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed; andin order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to theaecont mn 'in drawings,

a h to other object or to the removal of such book.

or object. Fig. 6, is a perspective View of a corner of the box and thecorresponding corner of the skeleton door thereof. 7

In the said drawings, 1 indicates a rectangular base and 2 a centralcross-bar connecting the front and rear'sides of said base, the latteralso having parallel transverse tongues 33 projecting upward from itsfront and rear sides and engaging grooves .4- in the. lower faces of thefront; and rear sides of a rectangular frame 5 adapted for lateral adjustment: on base 1, the front; edge of said frame 5 bearing against thedepending arm (i of a bar 7 adapted tobe slida-bly connected in anysuitable manner, to a photographic apparatus, not shown, it being alsounderstood that the slidable connection with the photographic apgaratusreferred to, forms no part. of this invention and is therefore notillustrated. Bar 7 is provided at its rear end with an index-finger orpointer 8 overlying a transverse scale-bar 9 secured upon the upper edgeof the front side of the slidable frame 5, and said front bar of theslidable frame 5 is also provided with a transverse slot 10 receiving abolt 11 extending up through a Z-sh'aped bracket 12 sei cured tocross-bar 2 of base 1, a clampingnut 13 engaging said bolt for thepurpose of t clamping the slidable frame 5 rigidly upon 1 the base. i Avertical frame rigidly carried by the t slidable or adjustable frame 5is constructed 1 as follows: 14 1s a palr of vertical standards 1rigidly erected in any suitable manner, on the side-bars of frame 5 andconnected by braces 15 to the rear side of said frame and to each otherby crossed braces 16. The said standards are provided in their innerfaces, with vertical grooves 17, and at their rear sides and aboutmidway their height, with t btmring-blocks 18 for a transverse shaft 19provided with a crank-handle 20 at one end, and with a pair ofeog-pinions Q1 meshing with vertical rack-bars secured to the rear sideof a vertically-arranged and preferably H-shaped slide-frame 23 fittingat its edges in the grooves 17 of said standards 1 1, and in order tosecure the slide-frame at the desired point of vertical adjustment,after being raised by the cog-wheels through the proper manipulation ofthe crank-handle, I employ a latch-bar 2 1 mounted in an arm 25rojecting from one of the bars 18, said latch-bar being adapted toengage the adja cent rack-bar 22, and having a ring or handle 26 byWhich it may be drawn back from engagement; with said rack-bar. Thelatchbar has a stop-pin 27 for preventing it from being totallywithdrawn from arm 25. Frame 23 carries a cross-bar 28 at its upper endand front side as a means of supporting a box hereinafter described, andspacing such box when vertical from said frame to accommodate abreak-joint brace also hereinafter described, the said cross-bar havinga notch 29 in its lower side to further accommodate such break-jointbrace.

The box above referred to, is identified generally by referencecharacter 30, and consists of an H-shaped bottom 31 provided with hingemembers 32 connected to the hinge-members 33 secured to cross-bar 28 offrame 23, so as to be capable of occupying the vertical position shownin Fig. 2 or the horizontal position shown in Fig. 5. The SlClGS-i'irlof said box project from the sides of said bottom and the ends of thebox connect the upper and lower ends of the bottom and sides, the saidends being braced midway their length by the bars 36 connected also withthe bridge-portion of the H-shaped bottom. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, abandle 37 is provided for the box at one end for convenience in swingingthe latter from its vertical to its horizontal position or vice versa.It is understood that before the box can be swung to its horizontalposition, the slide-frame 23 must be raised until its upper end is atleast flush with the upper ends of standards 14, as will be readilyunderstood by reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 5. 1

38 are stop-bars secured to and projecting inward from the front edgesof the sides of the box, and connecting said stop-bars with theside-portions of the H-shaped bottom are pins 39 preferably held inplace by plates all) secured to the front sides of stopbars 38.

11 are clamp-plates arranged within the box and extending from one sidethereof to the other and provided with holes 42 loosely receiving pins39 so as to be capable of assuming an angular relation to the face andbottom of the box for the purpose of facilitating the insertion in thebox of a book, map or other object'to be photographed, such object beingadapted to be placed between one or both of the plates ll and theskeleton door 43 hinged at one end at 44 to the adjacent end -35 of thebox: said skeleton door consisting of a pair of crossbars 15 and a pairof inn'mally-vertical bars 4-6 receiving bolts 47 extending forwardthrough slots 48 in bars and engaged by nuts 49 for clamping said bars15 and 46 rigidly together so as to constitute the door hereinbeforementioned. it being noticed that the bars to occupy the samev plane asbars 4-5 and are equipped with rigid exten sions 50 to overlap and fitagainst the front faces of bars t5 and receive the bolts 47 and theclamping pressure of the nuts 49, as shown most clearly in Fig. (3. Itwill also be noticed by reference to Figs. 2 and G that the ends 35 ofthe box are narrower than the side-bars 34 to permit the door to assumea position between the stop-bars 38, and that such ends'are formed withshoulders 51 near their extremities to limit the closing movement of thedoor, the end 35 adjacent to the free end of the door, being equippedwith spring-catches 52 for automatic engagement with pins 53 projectingfrom the free edge of the door to lock the latter in its closedposition. By adjusting bars 16 toward and from each other they canaccommodate books or other objects to be photographed, of varying sizes,a small book being adapted to be clamped between said bars of the doorand one of the plates -11, a large book being clamped between said barsof the door and both clamping plates 41, the latter being spaced apartas shown in Fig. 2 to accommodate the back or hinge portion of a book asshown in Fig. 2. To hold the plates advanced with a yielding pressureindependently of each other, leaf-springs 54 pro ject upward anddownward from the bottom of the box. and bear at their free ends againstsaid plate, a similar pair of springs being secured to the bars 36 ofthe bottom of the box and bearing at their free ends against plates 41.smooth wear-plates 56 being secured to the plates 41if made of wood-aspreferredto eliminate wear and reduce to the minimum the frictionincidental to the relative sliding action which occurs between thesprings and the wearplates as the plates 41 move forward or rearward topermit of the insertion in the box of the book or other object to bephotographed.

For the purpose of automatically securing the box in its horizontalposition, I provide a break-joint brace (hereinbefore mentioned) betweenframe 23 and the box, said brace consisting of a pair of bars 57 and 58hinged together at one end, and respectively hinged at theiropposite'ends at 59 and 60 to frame 23 and one of the bars 36 of thebottom of the box, the arrangement being such that when the box occupiesa horizontal position. the bars 57 and 58 are alined and form aninclined brace to hold said box in such horizontal position (see Fig.Vthen the box is swung back to a vertical position it is arrested by astop-plate (51 projecting upward from a cross-bar 62 of frame Assumingthat the frame 5 has been adjusted laterally on the frame or base 1 toand secured at the desired point by clamp ing nut 13, the operatorgrasps crank 20 and withdraws latch-bar 2 1 from operative position. Hethen turns the crank 20 to ele and the box carried thereby.

val tlmslide-frame 23 and box 30 until the 1 shown in Fig. 2, and inthis connection it index-linger 3 projecting from one of the should bestated that it is only necessary to standards 14-, registers with ascale-bar (9-1: on the bottom of the box (see Fig. 1), and while holdingthe box elevated he forces latch-bar it forward to again engage therack-bar and thus prevent (lownward movement of the vertieallvadjustable frame 23 The action described takes place if the book orother object is already in place in the box. If not, the cranlehandle ismanipulated until the upper end of the frame 23 attains the level of thetop of the standards, and then the latch-bar is re'engaged with the saidrack-' bar to hold the parts in such position. The box is then swung onits hinges 32 to the horizontal position shown in Fig. 5-preferably bygrasping handle 37. In this action the break-joint. brace unfolds to theinclined position shown in the last-named figure and thus automaticallybraces the box in its horizontal position. The operator then disengagesthe spring-catches 52 from engagement with pins 53 to permit the door tobe opened by swinging it upward on its hinges H, the door beingpreferably opened by grasping the handle (35 projecting from thecross-bar eta equipped with the pins 53. The book or other object beingthen placed in the box upon the yieldingly-elevated plates ll, the dooris reclosed and its bars 46 engage the opened book at the opposite endsof its printed surfaces the pressure of the springs being sutlicient tohold the book firmly in position when the box is swung back to itsvertical position, it being necessary before the box can be thus swungback to manually break or fold the break-joint brace upwardly, as willbe readily understood. If the book is too high after the box is thusswung back to a vertical position, the handle 20 is grasped and thelatch bar withdrawn from, the rack-bar to permit the box and frame 23 toslide downward, sutlicient resistance being imposed upon the handle toprevent the too-rapid descent of said box and frame. \Vhen lowered theproper distance as indicated by the indextinger G3 and scale-bar tel,the latch-bar is caused to reengagc the rack-bar and thus employ saidfingers occasioiuilly in the operative position referred to.

From the above description it will be apparent that l have produced acopy holder embodying the features of advantage enumerated as desirableand which is susceptible of ll'lOCllfiCtltlOIl in various particularswithout departing from the principle and scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Lettors-Patent, is;

1. A copy holder, comprising a base, a frame laterally-adjustable on thebase, standards carried by the frame, a frame vertically-adjustable onsaid standards, means for securing the last-named frame at the desiredaltitude, a box hinged to said verti cally-adjustable frame and capablewhen the upper end of the latter attains the level of the top of thestandards, of being swung to a horizontal position over the latter, anda. break-joint brace connecting the vertically adjustable frame and saidbox to automatically brace the box in such horizontal position.

2. A copy holder, comprising a base, a frame laterally-adjustable on thebase, standards carried by the frame, a frame vertically adjustable onthe standards, means for securing the last-named frame at the desiredaltitude, a box hinged to said vertically-adjustable frame and capablewhen the upper end of the latter attains the level of the top of thestandards, of being swung to a horizontal position over the latter,means for automatically securing the box in such horizontal position. ahinged door for said box, means to lock the door in its closed position,a plate within the box, and springs bearing against and interposedbetween the said plate and the bottom of the box to hold the formerpressed yieldingly toward the said door, and a pair of guide and supportin )ins carried b I the box and extending" loosely through said plate.

3. In a copy holder, a pair of grooved standards, avertically-adjustable frame slidably mounted in the grooves of saidstandards, vertical rack-bars secured to said frame, a. transverse shaftbearing a journaled relation to said standards and pro vided with acrank-handle and with cogpinions engaging said rack-bars, an arm rigidwith said standards, a latch-bar slidably mounted in said arm andadaptedto engage one of the rack-bars to hold the slidable frame at the desiredeleiition, a box hinged to the upper end of the slidable frame andadapted to swing in a vertical. plane from a vertical to a horizontal-posi tion and vice versa, astop-plate rigid with tieal position, meansto automatically brace the frame in its horizontal position, a skeletondoor for the box, means to lock the door in its closed position, a pairof plates snitahly guided and supported within the boa and springsinterposed between and bearing against the bottom of the box and saidplates and tending to force the plates toward said door.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in the presenee of twoWitIlBSSQS.

CALVIN J. ELLIS. \Vit'nesses FRANK R. GLOVE, G. Y. THORPE.

